Please automate Supercruise - its the most pointless gameplay element.

[GT3000]

I just love the absolutism displayed by the 86ers, forum veterans, and generally anyone who thinks having an autopilot makes SuperCruise somehow obsolete. Is the temptation so strong that you need it gone (or in this case) unimplemented for you not to use it?

And historically speaking, Frontier has been renown for caving to popular pressure. Look at the whole external view debacle. They went from "no" (or a close approximation of it) to fully implementing in a logical and consistent fashion and nobody has been harmed for it.

 

[Taimaru]

I would have thought having an autopilot would make supercruise even more boring as then there would be nothing to do in game (yes, you can scan other ships whilst manually flying - try it), but each to their own.

I love all aspects of flying in game whether it's supercruise, witchspace or normal space flying and would always fly manual. Same reason as I have never bought an auto-docking module.

If Frontier were to introduce an autopilot it would have to be a separate module (not integrated with the auto landing module) and cost a lot of credits for balancing purposes.

More importantly it should not automate winning an interdiction (it should just keep flying towards your destination) so if you are watching Netflix, browsing the web, or getting a beer from the fridge (orange juice for some players) then you run the risk of losing the interdiction and getting your ship destroyed.

 

[Sandmann]

I think the point made by the OP is, as kind of a mini-game, is more that it's low skill ("surf six" until you get a warning, you are arriving, push a button). I feel the OP may have a bit of a point. There's a lot more flying skill needed in dogfights, for example.

FD have done a great job of building Galaxy and local maps, Galnet, and are putting in faction groups etc, a lot of nice content to get stiuck into. For me, SC is a good opportunity to allow that. When you're in a station, the tendency is look through commodities and ships loadouts, but there's a big galaxy out there (let's go!) is THIS the time to engage with the news / factions backstory, and allow that to seep in? My feeling is not, I want the next ship ...

on routine travel (given that auto, a basic tech, see airliners, seems missing maybe from an advanced spaceship) there's a three or four minute sequence (of low skill mini game) where people who otherwise might not be so interested in lore/ power play etc can engage with it

With proviso's for balancing (always succumbs to interdiction etc.) I think it would draw people into the game to encourage them to investigate backstories without risking overshooting the target destination all the time. That and, after a few hundred trips, tedium CAN set in ..

you don't have to have attention deficit disorder, or want the game to play itself, to see that a flight computer can add complexity to the ship systems, adding to that all important immersion, if designed to be interesting in of itself, rather than being a dumb down, which apparently it HAS to be if it frees the pilots hands (optionally) for one specific mode of spaceflight.

As you and I have discussed before and at least came close to agreement on, adding complexity through the addition of a flight computer is a very different kettle of fish to adding an autopilot. Anything that will draw your attention into the game, make you want to do supercruise, make you look forward to it etc is going to be an improvement. A system that lets you set a target then go to a different screen to watch back episodes of Friends (which is what many of the "pro" camp are arguing for) however is not an improvement, it's enabling distraction. I see the current iteration of supercruise as a very early, primitive version of an interplanetary flight system that will expand, evolve, and engage to a much greater degree in the future. FD didn't put in guilds despite a very vocal minority demanding it because they knew they had something better coming (PowerPlay), and I think their complete silence on this issue also foretells planned improvements to be implemented in the future. They know where they want it to go, and putting in a bandaid solution now will break what they have planned for later.

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I would have thought having an autopilot would make supercruise even more boring as then there would be nothing to do in game

It would. The proponents of autopilot don't want it to make SC more interesting. They don't plan to sit there and continue to watch the ship fly while it's in autopilot. There's only two reasons to demand it, if you want to do something else (watch Friends, play cards, look at netflix etc), or if you want to have a ship that flies itself so you can run bots.

 

[Taimaru]

Maybe the solution to solve "all this boredom" (I don't get bored) in supercruise is the complete opposite to an autopilot - the ability to turn off flight assist whilst in supercruise so traveling at 75% throttle doesn't automatically slow you down, instead you have to continually adjust your throttle and your heading .

 

[Vasious]

I just love the absolutism displayed by the 86ers, forum veterans, and generally anyone who thinks having an autopilot makes SuperCruise somehow obsolete. Is the temptation so strong that you need it gone (or in this case) unimplemented for you not to use it?

.

The Old guard seems to be in all three camps

1) No
2) Why not add things to make super cruise more interactive
3) Why not

I like both 2 & 3

I think allowing a Super cruise Auto Pilot, Docking computer, AND Jump computer if they take internal compartments and drain power and have mass.
*Programming requirements are beyond me

Plus it gives the AI out in the Black a fun way to get a fleet of ships in the lore of up to date ships......

 

[Winterwalker]

It would. The proponents of autopilot don't want it to make SC more interesting. They don't plan to sit there and continue to watch the ship fly while it's in autopilot. There's only two reasons to demand it, if you want to do something else (watch Friends, play cards, look at netflix etc), or if you want to have a ship that flies itself so you can run bots.

I'm not sure if it's strictly true, although I do recognise that it is, totally people's fear, that people want a game that plays itself (for netflix / botting). Personally I don't really buy that, and actually in the end don't really care if people play their way, as long as no massive advantage obviously. The OP though, one example, only really wants to take away the watching of countdown clock, doesn't mention any sort of auto-steer in his case. Personally I'd keep what exists now but give ppl the choice.

You may well be right, that FD are holding back and, yes I hope, even though they have apperently ruled out, there is some plan to bring, especially if better. Definitely willing to believe that, the powerplay upgrade looks excellent, as has wings, been well received.

If we give people the benefit of doubt though and ask, what's the difference between a boring car journey and a boring train journey. On the train you can read about local factions, in the car you can't (mind the road). Arguably after the train journey you are more engaged with the back story, and game in general, as well as feeling less zonked out by (what any individual player might, playing their way, might perceive as being, at least in part) a commute?

 

[Sandmann]

You may well be right, that FD are holding back and, yes I hope, even though they have apperently ruled out, there is some plan to bring, especially if better. Definitely willing to believe that, the powerplay upgrade looks excellent, as has wings, been well received.

I don't think they could be planning on leaving SC as it is - one point I do agree with the autopilot proponents with is that unless you're bounty hunting etc SC is a big empty hole of not much to do and I'm sure FD cqan't be planning on leaving it that way. The rush they were in to release a working game at the end of last year meant a lot of stuff got put on hold and we're only just beginning to see the actual content turning up now with wings and powerplay - there's still a long way to go.

If we give people the benefit of doubt though and ask, what's the difference between a boring car journey and a boring train journey. On the train you can read about local factions, in the car you can't (mind the road). Arguably after the train journey you are more engaged with the back story, and game in general, as well as feeling less zonked out by (what any individual player might, playing their way, might perceive as being, at least in part) a commute?

That may be the wrong analogy to use to convince me... see I'd say the train journey were far more boring. I really enjoy driving, and have done numerous multi day drives/motorbike rides just for fun. I've also done multi-day train rides and I was incredibly bored the entire time. Others may say different, it's "horses for courses" I guess.

 

[Remiel]

SC as it is right now is virtually on-rails already, it's just point and shoot with a few minor adjustments to your heading and throttle on final approach. I spend most of my supercruise flights trawling through the forums on a second monitor while watching for interdictions on my primary. It already takes so little effort that automating it would be like the equivalent of giving your TV remote an AI that decides what you want to watch for you while you do the exact same thing you were doing before already. That being said, automating any in-game functionality is blatantly opening the door to and inviting in botters with open arms. If your reason for autopilot is 'SC is boring!' then as stated above, autopilot isn't your solution.

 

[jpaulwilson1982]

If gravity pulled on your ship and took you off course, I'd really support an auto-pilot. Like Remiel said, it's pretty much on rails as it is. Point, throttle up, and chillax.

If FD did add an auto-pilot, I wouldn't be upset about it. If they don't, I won't be upset about it. Any further dissection of this suggestion seems superfluous. But if you enjoy it who am I to judge? Crusade on, my friends

 

[SCADVID]

Your personal problems and time limitations, as much as they suck for you, are not representative of the entire community and are as such no reason for sweeping changes to game mechanics.

Like I said, ED doesn't have to worry about game hype, it has to worry about it's game promoters.

Remiel's schick here is the sandbox ideal, yet a sandbox is a true representation of a democracy in action...not a dictatorship. EvE players play not in a democracy but anarchy, and a true sociopathic playstyle.

Thus, I hope ED has better self-promotion than this, at least the "normal" variety (and one not so much a sourpuss too. Dang this place is more depressing than the TWoM content...and that's sad).

It would. The proponents of autopilot don't want it to make SC more interesting. They don't plan to sit there and continue to watch the ship fly while it's in autopilot. There's only two reasons to demand it, if you want to do something else (watch Friends, play cards, look at netflix etc), or if you want to have a ship that flies itself so you can run bots.

The reason for Supercruise as it is, is the reason for any bots to be made.

Bots aren't made for the fun stuff to play, as the player enjoys playing it. Bots are there for the tear boring mundane things that serve zero purpose (not even for PvP, either).

Is that the reason for the opposition? The the botmakers are upset?

Players want the fun stuff, not pay another "tax" to play. -_-

 

[Sandmann]

SC as it is right now is virtually on-rails already, it's just point and shoot with a few minor adjustments to your heading and throttle on final approach. I spend most of my supercruise flights trawling through the forums on a second monitor while watching for interdictions on my primary. It already takes so little effort that automating it would be like the equivalent of giving your TV remote an AI that decides what you want to watch for you while you do the exact same thing you were doing before already. That being said, automating any in-game functionality is blatantly opening the door to and inviting in botters with open arms. If your reason for autopilot is 'SC is boring!' then as stated above, autopilot isn't your solution.

Zactly... They want AP BECAUSE all you have to do is point your ship where you want it to go and watch the timer and they don't want to watch the timer. I understand that, it's hardly a challenge. Why they resist adding challenge to it is beyond me though - they can already (as you've pointed out) do most things while in SC and just keep half an eye on the timer as it is. The average SC duration's only 2-3 minutes so they're not going to be able to watch videos... maybe post something to twitter or facebook (which I already do quite successfully with my cellphone while playing WITHOUT an AP anyway), so other than running bots I really can't see how AP would do them any good. There's just so little attention required and for such a short time that it would render AP useless for all but the occasional explorer, or maybe people doing a milk run to Alpha Centauri. Far better to put something in to actually DO in the game, then give them a mechanic to do LESS... FD want to ENGAGE people, not give them reasons to leave.

 

[Remiel]

Like I said, ED doesn't have to worry about game hype, it has to worry about it's game promoters.

Remiel's schick here is the sandbox ideal, yet a sandbox is a true representation of a democracy in action...not a dictatorship. EvE players play not in a democracy but anarchy, and a true sociopathic playstyle.

Thus, I hope ED has better self-promotion than this, at least the "normal" variety (and one not so much a sourpuss too. Dang this place is more depressing than the TWoM content...and that's sad).

Why do you keep bringing up EVE? And what's 'true sociopathic playstyle' even mean? The only thing I said is that one person's personal problems are no reason for sweeping game changes that affect or could affect everyone. How does anything you just said contradict or even relate to that?

 

[Sandmann]

The reason for Supercruise as it is, is the reason for any bots to be made.

Bots aren't made for the fun stuff to play, as the player enjoys playing it. Bots are there for the tear boring mundane things that serve zero purpose (not even for PvP, either).

Is that the reason for the opposition? The the botmakers are upset?

Players want the fun stuff, not pay another "tax" to play. -_-

No, bots are made for "gold farming", which gets sold for real cash, so people can "pay to win", which FD have explicitly said they don't want.

You say you "want the fun stuff", but instead of arguing to make supercruise fun you are "crying" because you can't ignore the game completely and have it play itself. Make up your mind, do you want to play or not?

 

[SCADVID]

Why they resist adding challenge to it is beyond me though

This explains it perfectly...

[video=youtube;WAsyx6CO-0c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAsyx6CO-0c&hd=1[/video]

Supercruise is a time sink. Time sinks aren't designed to be action packed, they're time fillers. Just like ghostwalking is a time filler.

Supercruise is a ghostwalk mechanic that got borked into a 10hr rez hell, instead.

Opposition is against 10hr rezzing from hell!

 

[Remiel]

This explains it perfectly...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAsyx6CO-0c&hd=1

Supercruise is a time sink. Time sinks aren't designed to be action packed, they're time fillers. Just like ghostwalking is a time filler.

Supercruise is a ghostwalk mechanic that got borked into a 10hr rez hell, instead.

Opposition is against 10hr rezzing from hell!

That actually doesn't explain sweet frack all. The only reason to have time sinks is for sub games, because the less time you spend achieving your goals is another sub you have to pay for. ED isn't a subscription game, and the purpose of SC is to provide players with a means of intrasystem travel without implementing the time dilation of the older games, which were single player. But because you can't speed up one person's game without speeding up someone else's in a persistent simulation like the one ED is, you can't have the same time dilation features, so you need something else. Be thankful we got SC, because the alternative is regular thrusters. It takes six months at best speed to get from Earth to Mars at their closest approach. Can you imagine Alpha Centauri on thrusters? There's certainly improvements to be made to intrasystem travel, but autopilot ain't one of them. Also, your video is falsely representing itself - it says 10 hours but it only runs for three and a half.

 

[Iori]

Right now supercruise is very annoying.

It is easy enough to be boring, but it requires just the right amount of attention to prevent you from entertain yourself with something else. So it is a boring activity that demands your presence, worst of both worlds.

Independence War 2 has auto SC and is very well done: 0:55

[video=youtube;WIOKzxGbf-A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIOKzxGbf-A[/video]

And unlike in ED, this one actually is seamless.

 

[SCADVID]

That actually doesn't explain sweet frack all.

To you, Remiel.

Oh, and why do I keep bringing up EvE to you explicitly? This can help explain it...

View attachment 32636

But I can still laugh and enjoy any game. ^-^

 

[PhazonAran]

Right now supercruise is very annoying.

It is easy enough to be boring, but it requires just the right amount of attention to prevent you from entertain yourself with something else. So it is a boring activity that demands your presence, worst of both worlds.

Independence War 2 has auto SC and is very well done: 0:55

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIOKzxGbf-A

And unlike in ED, this one actually is seamless.

It was single player. That's why it was seamless.

Keep in mind that I-War's "SC" is much faster than ED's SC. Piloting manually would be very complicated.

 

[Sandmann]

But I can still laugh and enjoy any game. ^-^

Except this one which apparently makes you cry but you still can't stop playing it.. or whining about it... or posting meaningless pictures and ridiculous videos to hide the fact that you don't have a valid argument.

 

[Remiel]

To you, Remiel.

Oh, and why do I keep bringing up EvE to you explicitly? This can help explain it...

View attachment 32636

But I can still laugh and enjoy any game. ^-^

Were you trying to make a point of some kind?

Wait.... IZ, is that you?